You’d think after all these years covering beer news 24/7, that the American Craft Beer crew would have every beer style nailed.. But we don't and that’s exactly why we started the “What the Hell Is?” series. Which brings us to the California Common Beer.
When people talk about classic beer styles, the conversation usually leans toward Europe ,where so many of these classic beer styles originated. But the US has a few homegrown styles of its own, and one of the most interesting (and most overlooked) is the Kentucky Common.
So you're wandering the narrow streets of Düsseldorf's Old Town—on a crisp fall evening and the cozy German brewpubs couldn’t be more inviting. Inside, waiters in long aprons zip around balancing trays loaded with tall, slender glasses of something, cold, coppery and alluring.
Some suggest that the Baltic Porter is basically a lager's answer to an Imperial Stout, but like the cold Baltic Sea region that gave birth to this beer style more than a century ago. But the answer is more nuanced than that.
Rauchbier is one of those beer styles that sounds more extreme than it actually is—at least until you take your first sip. The name translates simply to “smoke beer. And yet,the Rauchbeir isn’t some modern gimmick. For most of brewing history, it was just… beer.
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For every IPA variant we think we’ve nailed down, there’s some old-school British style lurking in the shadows—waiting to remind us how little we actually know.
Beer is a deep, weird, endlessly surprising world—and winter seasonals are no exception. Which brings us to the Winter Warmer, a cozy, centuries-old style with British roots and a soft spot for spice.
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And don’t let the name fool you. This isn’t some pompous Euro import. It’s one of beer’s quiet overachievers—subtle, flavorful, and historically badass.
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Welcome to another addition of our “What the Hell Is?” series... Open a beer, relax and become an instant brewing genius.
When it comes to craft beer, some beers seem to dominate things, like the current champion, the Hazy IPA. But behind the haze and hype lies a whole world of beer styles that seldom get their moment
Few beer styles have shaped the American craft brewing movement quite like the West Coast IPA
April is ON and American craft brewers are welcoming the warmer weather with a fun roster of new offerings that you’re gonna want to have around.
Coachella is an annual music and arts festival held in California’s Coachella Valley desert and in the world of music (and increasingly beer), making an appearance there is a very big deal.
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American Craft Beer’s “What the Hell” series is all about a beer’s backstory, it’s history and its future. So welcome to the latest in our ongoing series “What the Hell is a Cold IPA?"
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Welcome to another addition of our “What the Hell Is?” series... Open a beer, relax and become an instant brewing genius.
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Welcome to another addition of our “What the Hell Is?” series... Open a beer, relax and become an instant brewing genius.
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Welcome to the latest in our ongoing series (drum roll please…) “What the Hell is a Black & Tan beer.
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Since we’ve built an online empire on being sometimes wrong, here’s a quick primer on a couple of beer acronyms we use all the time.
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Welcome to another addition of our “What the Hell Is?” series... Open a beer, relax and become an instant brewing genius!
2023 is ON and American craft brewers are addressing the new year with exciting new beers you’re gonna want to have around.
July will soon be a memory and American craft brewers are addressing mid-summer with a full slate of new beers you’ll want to have around.
The 4th of July is now behind us and American craft brewers are addressing mid-summer with a full slate of new beers you’re gonna want to chase down.
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Welcome to another addition of our “What the Hell Is?” series... Open a beer, relax and become an instant brewing genius.
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Welcome to another addition of our “What the Hell Is?” series... Open a beer, relax and become an instant brewing genius.
Baltic Porters fell out of fashion during the 1900’s, particularly during the Cold War. But this classic style has seen a resurgence in popularity over the last twenty years thanks to the craft beer movement.
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There are a very few internationally recognized beer styles that originated in in America. But what is a Kentucky Common anyway?
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There are beers, there are cocktails, and there are beer cocktails. Then, there are also beers that taste like cocktails. And those are the Cocktail Beers we’re talking about...
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As part of American Craft Beer’s ongoing effort to inform, entertain and make you an overnight beer genius, we’ve broken out the brewing process into five easy steps that even a 7-year old could understand.
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What Guinness started more than a half-century ago has become over the years an influential ‘technical style’ of its own… But what the hell are these Nitro Beers anyway?
